1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of cooking and, more particularly, to the combination of a countertop oven and a cooling rack.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
In the art of cooking, there have been various ways in which ovens have been mounted, as well as many different energy sources utilized with such ovens. For example, it is conventional to provide either an electric or gas range between two sections of a kitchen countertop such that an oven of the range is located below the level of the countertop. It is also fairly common to find an oven mounted in a wall within a kitchen. With either of these types of arrangements, the oven will incorporate a door which pivots about a lower, generally horizontal axis, such that, upon opening of the door, the door projects forwardly of a cavity of the oven. This positioning of the door mandates that a user either stand to the side or lean over the door in order to access the oven cavity when either placing food items to be cooked within the oven cavity or removing the items therefrom. This positioning of the door is not always extremely convenient, particularly when removing hot items from the oven cavity which have to be lifted and carried to another support surface.
Microwave ovens are also commonly found in households today. Microwave ovens are typically either supported directly upon a countertop or mounted in a spaced relationship above a range and between wall cabinets. These types of ovens generally have an associated door which is hinged about a substantially vertical axis at one upright edge portion thereof. With such an arrangement, when the door is opened, easy access to food items and containers within a cavity of the oven is available. Therefore, a user can readily remove the food or container from the oven and carry the same to a remote serving position. In addition, particularly with respect to microwave ovens but also applicable to more conventional ovens, it is sometimes required to remove a food container from an oven cavity before cooking is completed in order to stir the contents of the container for further cooking. During such times, the food container is generally placed on a countertop or another cooking surface which will provide the required stability for the container.
Because containers are typically quite hot when removed from ovens, it is not too uncommon to find a certain percentage of the cookware slips and breaks while being transferred to and from the oven. In order to address this concern, at least with respect to microwave ovens, it has been proposed to interpose a base between a microwave oven and a countertop, wherein the base incorporates a slidable cookware support which will aid in transferring cookware to and from the cavity of the oven. Such an arrangement is represented in U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,356. Although the presence of such a supplemental cookware support can be advantageous in various situations, the arrangement is considered to have various drawbacks. For instance, the support is particularly adapted for use in removing a food container from the oven cavity prior to final completion of the cooking cycle such that the food therein can be stirred and then placed back in the oven cavity. Due to the arrangement of the support and the manner in which the door for the microwave oven is opened and closed, once a piece of cookware is placed on the support, the door cannot be shifted between the opened and closed positions. Therefore, the support is not particularly useful following completion of the cooking operation, unless it is desired to maintain the door of the microwave oven open. Furthermore, since the cookware support must project forward of a frontal edge of the countertop during use, a hazard may be presented wherein an individual can bump into the support and possibly even knock the entire microwave oven off the countertop.
Regardless of the proposals made in the art, there exists a need in the art for a combination oven and cooling rack assembly which provides for a convenient arrangement for shifting cookware and/or food items into and out of a cavity of the oven. More specifically, there exists a need for an oven construction which provides for food items to be easily placed in or removed from a cavity of the oven while being unobstructed from a door associated with the cavity. In addition, there exists a need for a support to be used with such an oven wherein food containers can be readily removed from the oven cavity and positioned on the support with a greatly reduced concern of possible damage being caused to the cookware or other accidents.